Therapeutic vision training is directed toward improving the visual performance of patients with vision impairments by stimulating their vision systems using visual stimuli. For example, as documented in the international PCT application with application number PCT/EP98/05505 and publication number WO 00/12042, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, presenting visual stimuli to the areas of residual vision (i.e., transition zones) of a human's visual system may allow improvement in the user's vision. Such training may be carried out on a personal computer for home use, the training performed in sessions on a daily schedule for a set period of time (e.g., an hour).
The location and orientation of a user's head relative to a display, used to present visual stimuli, needs to be identified each time training is performed to properly stimulate the correct zones in a user's visual field. Previous training regimens relied upon a user fixing their gaze in a particular location. The natural tendency of persons to move after being in an unsupported, fixed position for a relatively long period of time may cause misalignment of the visual stimuli relative to a user's visual field. Such misalignment may limit the effectiveness of a training session. Even if a user attempts to fix their head's position relative to a display, identifying the proper position may be difficult, especially for individual users outside of a clinical setting. As well, the amount of time required to properly align the relative position of the display with a user's visual field can be substantial. The prior art does not disclose a method or device which assures proper positioning of a user's head and eyes in relation to a display for vision training.